Former Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) called President Donald Trump's acceptance of a $400 million gift from Qatar "problematic."
Speaking on a CNN panel Monday, McHenry explained, "Like most things in the Trump era, two things can be true at once," prompting a chuckle from host Kasie Hunt.
"One is that we're using Air Force One long after its expected life," McHenry said.
Boeing, which builds the plane used by presidents and vice presidents, will have the new plane in 2027. The original delivery date was in 2022. However, even Darlene Costello, the Air Force’s acting acquisitions chief, told CNN that the 2027 date may not happen.
“I would not necessarily guarantee that date, but they are proposing to bring it in ’27, if we can come to agreement on the requirement changes,” Costello said.
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"It is still a fabulous airframe," McHenry said about the fancy plane. The closest one to it, he said, is the one owned by Qatar.
"So, here's the complicated thing, which is to fly the president around, any president around is a complicated thing. You need a complicated airframe for that flying White House, right?" McHenry continued. "It is the only available thing that is equivalent to Air Force One in the world."
"So that can be true," he continued. "It could also be true that taking a gift of this size from a foreign government, any foreign government, much less one that is, tries to be a pivot player, tries to be our friend, sort of, in Qatar. It's just a complicated place. It, just — I'll admit. But to accept a gift like that is, problematic. So, you can say these two things at once."
He questioned why the U.S. headquarters of Boeing can't get an Air Force One made in the United States.
CNN explained last week that one of the delays has been attributed to "top-clearance security requirements for workers performing work on the aircraft." The Air Force said it was “relieving” Boeing of some of those requirements.
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